China treasury bond futures open mixed Thursday

China's five-year treasury bond futures opened mixed on Thursday. The contract for settlement in June 2016 opened 0.04 percent higher at 101.12 yuan (about 15.56 U.S. dollars).

The contract for settlement in September 2016 opened flat at 100.55 yuan. The contract for settlement in December 2016 opened slightly higher at 100.21, up 0.04 percent.

The contracts are agreements to buy or sell treasury bonds at a predetermined price and set date. They allow investors to bet on and profit from the movements in the value of the bonds.

The treasury bond futures were launched at the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange and started trading on Sept. 6, 2013.